Holocaust Remembrance Day is observed every year on Jan. 27.
While Florida has mandated Holocaust education since 1994, the state took the step of labeling the date a “legal holiday or special observance,” effective July 2025. This new legislation makes Jan. 27 permanent on government calendars and explicitly requires schools to teach “anti-semitism and contributions of the Jewish community” on that day.
The fact that legislators felt the need to expand these protections last year says a lot about where we are right now as a country.
Last month, a Holocaust survivor was denied the opportunity to speak to a school in New York City about his experience. The reason? The principal said it was because of his views on Israel and Palestine.
More and more, younger generations are beginning to deny that the Holocaust happened, citing antisemitic voices like that of livestreamer Nick Fuentes, who tells his followers that it did not happen, making light of it with insulting tropes.
As we continue to see the number of survivors dwindle down, this rhetoric is more dangerous than ever. Which is why, as Jews, we need to combat denial with our own stories of truth.
Over the holidays, I had the opportunity to attend an event celebrating survivors. I have attended such events before, but this one was extra-special because I was bringing my daughters.
I was honored to be able to give them an opportunity to meet people who survived the Holocaust. I knew eventually they would learn about it in school, but at just 4 and 6 years old, I wasn’t confident they would get the chance to meet a survivor face to face.
So I brought them, but not without preparation.
While my 4-year-old is too young to understand, my 6-year-old is quite intuitive, and we wanted to make sure she realized the importance of the moment.
My husband and I grappled with it — how would we explain the Holocaust to her? How to tell her about this terrible event without scaring her? Without making her feel uneasy about being Jewish?
But, as I told my husband, that is the plight of a Jew.
Most of our holidays are marked by an event where others tried to kill us or run us off or destroy our way of life. We are not shielded from these stories — we are taught them in our Jewish preschools and reminded of them in Hebrew school. We tell them again and again, every year, multiple times a year over holiday meals.
When we began to explain the Holocaust, my daughter said, “Kind of like the Maccabees, right?” We knew then that she was ready to hear our (albeit watered-down) retelling of the war.
Telling a child that people were hurt and killed just because of their religion is not an easy thing. As a Jewish parent in today’s climate, it feels upsettingly necessary.
But at the event, our spirits were lifted. We enjoyed an afternoon of latkes, doughnuts and Hanukkah songs, to which my daughters danced around the room.
Then, the most magical moment happened as we were getting ready to leave.
At 101 years old, Herman Haller is one of the oldest living survivors of our day. His presence alone was a gift, and I knew I wanted my children to meet him.
As they went up to say hello, Haller’s daughter, Heidi Cherry, said to them, “If you touch his tattoo, you will remember forever.”
So my girls reached out their little hands to lightly touch the numbers on his arm — it felt as if the room shifted.
In that moment, the memory of the Holocaust was passed down to the newest generation. Any time someone tries to deny that it happened, my daughters will hopefully remember that tattoo and, as they learn more, they will remember all that came with it.
Because of survivors like Haller, and others in attendance at that event and around the world — who show up, tell their stories and make their voices heard — my daughters get to live freely as Jews.
That moment reminded me that Jews don’t just survive, we persevere. My daughters, and all Jewish children today, will carry the memories of the Holocaust in their hearts, and it is my hope that the stories continue to be told, even after the last survivor is gone.
If you have the opportunity, meet with a survivor.
Hear their story. Share it with others.
It’s the only way to ensure that “Never Again” remains true.
Jewish Journal editor Jessica Tzikas can be reached at jtzikas@sunsentinel.com.